AUS - Jackson celebrates birthday with Russian title

MOSCOW (Superleague) - Lauren Jackson scored 17 points and pulled in a game high 13 rebounds to lead Spartak Moscow to victory over CSKA Samara in the fifth and final game of the Russian Superleague Grand Final series overnight, 88-72.

Jackson joined Spartak on a lucrative one month contract just days after losing the Grand Final of the Women’s Korean Basketball League with Samsung Bichumi.

The championship title is Jackson’s seventh at club level, having previously one five defencejobs WNBL championships and a WNBA title with the Seattle Storm in 2004.

The globe-trotting Jackson can also boast World Championship and Commonwealth Games Gold Medal victories and two Olympic Games Silver Medals.

Adding to the good times Jackson turns 26 today, but celebrations were short lived as the coveted Australian departed almost immediately for the United States to begin her seventh WNBA season with the Storm.

Jackson averaged 16.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in the five game series.

Russian Olympian Ilona Korstine scored a game high 21 points to lead CSKA while Belgian international Ann Wauters dropped 20 points in support.

Jackson’s Spartak team mates Tina Thompson of America and Svetlana Abrosimova of Russia also scored 17 points each in the victory.

Spartak trailed 19-16 after the first quarter but battled back to lead by five points at half-time, 36-31. Spartak then all but assured victory in the third quarter by outscoring CSKA 23-12 to lead by 20 points late in the term.

Defending champions CSKA closed to within seven points with less than two minutes remaining, but Jackson’s experience and sharp shooting from WNBA veteran Tina Thompson proved the difference. 

The result gave Spartak a prestigious double for 2007, as they won the EuroLeague Women’s title in April.

Basketball Australia